" I would have preferred to like and enjoy this book – good books on golf, especially those dealing with the history of the game in Scotland fascinate me. But I was unable to sink into The Caddie especially in light of the constant reminders/interruptions by Coyne as he makes overly sure that the reader is involved with a narrator speaking to a captive audience at a banquet room of a well-to-do country club."

At the risk of being cold-hearted, though after reading this book I don’t seem to care all that much, there are times I wonder why people who are at least reasonably accomplished authors make the effort to write certain books, not to mention why these less-than-stellar titles ever see the light of print. Such is the case with The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan by John Coyne. This novel makes shameless use of weak artifice (as opposed to crafted artifice which every writer falls back on now and then) to advance the most superficial and banal of plots involving the ancient game of golf.

Then we come to The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, which might better have been titled The Caddie Who Knew Nothing of Golf’s Literary Tradition. The plot, possibly a bit of generosity using this term, revolves around the return of Jack Handley who remembers caddying for Ben Hogan in the summer of 1946 during the last Chicago Open at Midlothian. Jack recounts to assembled sons and daughters of members he once knew, the match between Hogan and the club's young assistant pro. This could possibly work if the writer displayed a touch of passion and forethought, but as written, the entire novel told before an audience that was probably passed-out from too many cocktails or from abject boredom by the fourth hour (288 pages as a public speech must take quite awhile in real time), is predictable and the anecdotes supposedly steeped in links history are mundane.

I grew up playing golf. I was hooked, impassioned, addicted and became very good for a swing of four youthful years before transferring my affections totally to fly fishing. I learned on old and revered courses like Onwentsia in Lake Forest, Illinois that held one of the first U.S. Opens a century ago, and from an old pro named Gunnar Nelson at venerable Rockford Country Club in northern Illinois, and was lucky enough to play The Chicago Club (hosted U.S. Open 1897, 1900, 1911), Butler, Medinah and Midlothian. I was fortunate as a youth, privileged in this respect. The traditions, honor and history of golf meant something to me and to a certain degree shaped my life. When I see haphazard writing on any subject that I care about, I become angry. Perhaps too easily. This novel is a case in point.

Coyne is the author of 11 books including three on golf instruction, and horror novels with titles like The Searing, The Shroud and Child of Shadows. He’s also edited two collections by Peace Corps Writers. Perhaps his greatest horror novel is this one about golf.

I found this on the book’s website:

“The author fills his narrative with true-life anecdotes about Ben Hogan and this golden age of golf as he profiles an assistant club pro who loves the game as much as he loves the beautiful daughter of the president of this private club. At the end of a magical summer, the club pro will win and lose at golf and love, and the teenage caddie will learn lessons for life taught to him by one of the great gentlemen and players of the game, Ben Hogan.”

I really must have missed something. Coyne said this of Hogan and the book in a recent interview, also from the book’s website.

“In the long history of professional golf, Ben Hogan is one of the most charismatic and enigmatic competitors to ever play the game. In his day — the late ’30s, ’40s and ’50s — he was as famous as Tiger Woods is today. The late golf pro Dave Marr said that Ben Hogan was to golf what Fred Astaire was to dancing. He was the man by whom everyone else was measured. Hogan approached golf as if he were in competition with the game itself and not with other players in the tournament. It was always Hogan against the golf course.”

None of this came through for me in the novel. I even reread long passages to see if I had overlooked qualities in the story line, diction and syntax. My conclusion, “No I didn’t.”

I would have preferred to like and enjoy this book – good books on golf, especially those dealing with the history of the game in Scotland fascinate me. But I was unable to sink into The Caddie especially in light of the constant reminders/interruptions by Coyne as he makes overly sure that the reader is involved with a narrator speaking to a captive audience at a banquet room of a well-to-do country club.

“Now on that note, perhaps, we might take a short break. I see Doug nodding in agreement. You know when you get to be our age, you can’t be to long between rest stops, so to speak…”

And…

“…but there is the out-of-bounds to the left that troubles players who hook, as some of you in the audience know.”

And…

“Let’s pause here for another short break before we reach the heart of my tale…”

And on and on and on.

In the end, this book fails for many reasons including obvious superficiality. The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan adds little if anything to golfing literature.

All Volunteers Safe in FijiAll Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news.

Ron Tschetter in Morocco and JordanOn his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: California Literary Review

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ethiopia; Writing - Ethiopia; Sports; Golf

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